


Catch a Tiger

by FluffyAbundance



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Jasper in Connie's home, PTSD, Peridot may show up later, Rehabilitation, promises and frying pans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 00:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4370000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyAbundance/pseuds/FluffyAbundance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon-divergent as of "Chille Tid". </p><p>Connie is always up for adventures with Steven and his family. But when she discovers that she can sense retreated Gems, and Jasper and Lapis Lazuli wash ashore, Connie has to balance taking care of Jasper, recovering corrupted Gems, and her normal hobbies. No issues, right? </p><p>Formally known as "Aura."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be a whirlwind of a ride! First fic in this fandom, so play nice, okay?

Connie couldn’t help but admire the massive statue every time she visited Steven. It was beautiful, broken pieces and all. It had reminded her of a goddess, like Isis or Demeter, both portrayed as benevolent entities. Of course, Isis and Demeter were based on human visions, without any extra limbs or a mask. In that thought, Connie could easily compare the statue to a Hindu goddess in physical form. She doubted that a goddess (real or statue), regardless of any religion, would tolerate having a house in her cupped palms and a washer and dryer in her hand. 

The house was a simple beach house, stilts supporting it to keep it from being turned into rotting wood or being pulled in by the ocean. The statue’s cupped hands helped create the house’s foundations, determining the size of the house. Connie knew better, the house was bigger on the inside. Granted, she hadn’t seen any of the Gems’ rooms yet, but Steven had always gone into great detail on what was in each Gem’s room, and she herself had gone into his mother’s room with him, to role-play _Destiny’s End_ among the pink clouds. 

Connie ran up the stairs leading to house, ready to have some more fun with Steven. She knocked on the door impatiently, despite the fact that she knew full well that she could enter whether or not the Gems were actually home. But her mother drove having good manners home. As soon as Pearl opened the door, however, Connie was inside, Steven meeting her halfway in the living room in a hug. Pearl had shook her head fondly as she shut the door while saying, “Hello, Connie.” 

“Hi, Pearl!” Connie called over her shoulder, still hugging Steven. Garnet chuckled from her leaning spot against the island counter. Connie called to her, “Hi, Garnet!” 

“Hello to you, too, Connie,” Garnet replied warmly. 

Steven and Connie finally let go of each other, still laughing. Connie was breathless, and grateful that she wasn’t prone to hiccups from laughing too hard. 

“So what are you kids doing today?” Pearl asked as she went to the sink to do dishes. 

“Just gonna play on the beach!” Steven said. Connie nodded in agreement, and started for the door, Steven following her. They raced down the stairs, back onto the beach. Connie had short jeans on, so she shucked off her shoes and socks and waded into the ocean. Steven kicked off of his flip-flops and followed her, laughing. They kicked the water around, splashing each other and starting a water war.

Connie was the first to leave the water, gasping from laughing so hard. Steven followed, flopping backwards onto the sand. Connie sat down and leaned backwards on her arms, soaking up the sun. The two friends just sat in the sun for a while before Connie asked, “Have you been able to make contact with Lapis Lazuli again?” 

Steven had told her about his dream talks with the ocean Gem a couple of months ago, but hadn’t been able to since. Connie really wanted to actually meet Lapis, not just see her water-projected head, so she was hoping that she unfused from the one called Jasper or Steven made contact with her in his dreams again. 

Steven shook his head sadly. “No. I’ve been trying to, but she’s either still blocking me or something’s happened. I even tried reaching Jasper just I could reach her!” 

“How’d that go?” Connie asked curiously. From what she heard, Jasper had a terrible temper and was still angry over losing to Garnet and, in connection, Steven. 

“Couldn’t reach her, either. I don’t know what’s going on!” Steven said, exasperated. He growled and covered his face with his hands, frustrated. Connie could sympathize with him; when he was on the hand-ship, she was worried sick. 

“Do you think they unfused?” she asked cautiously. Steven shrugged helplessly, hands still covering his face. 

“Maybe. But I should be able to reach her, or even Jasper! But I can’t reach them,” Steven said, finally sitting up. 

“Could they have unfused and then get ‘poofed’?” Connie asked. Steven looked at her, surprised. Connie went on, “I mean, they’re in the ocean. It’s pretty big; there are still species of animals being found down there. They could have been chomped by something, or hit a rock really hard, and got poofed that way.” 

“Maybe,” Steven replied with a shrug. “But that may not have happened. And even if that’s what happened, we would need to find their gems, and they may regenerate before we find them.” 

“Oh,” Connie said simply, disheartened. Steven noticed and gave her a hug, which she returned quickly. He assured her, “It was still a good idea.” 

Connie hummed in agreement. The two stayed like that for a little bit before Connie asked, “Wanna build a sandcastle?” 

She could feel Steven perk up and knew that she found a good way to distract him from his worries. They immediately began to work on building sandcastles. The first couple had collapsed after they had tried to build moats and the ocean made the structure too unstable. The third they decided shouldn’t have a moat, but plenty of towers. 

They had begun making the walls and towers to a fifth sandcastle when Garnet appeared on the porch deck. 

“Kids!” she barked. Connie and Steven looked up at her. “Inside, now!” 

The children gave her looks of concern and surprise, and Steven asked cautiously, “Uh, Garnet? What’s wrong?” 

Garnet pointed to the southwest and said, “We have a big storm coming, and I want you _both_ inside the Temple when it comes! Get up here!” 

Connie glanced at the sky toward where Garnet was pointing and saw the dark, angry clouds rolling towards Beach City. Turning back to Garnet, she yelled up to her, “How long will it last?” 

Garnet adjusted her glasses, her subtle way of looking into the future, and replied, “It varies.” 

Connie looked toward the oncoming storm again, thinking quickly. If it lasted a long time, then her mother would get worried, particularly if the storm was as bad as Garnet was implying. On the other hand, if it was short, then she and Steven could still have fun together without her mother knowing. But she would feel a little guilty about not informing her mother that she was safe, and if she didn’t anyways, her mom may prevent her from hanging out with Steven ever again! 

Connie stood up and tugged at Steven’s hand. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get inside before the storm hits. Remember the snowstorm?” 

Steven nodded and stood up as well before racing to the house after grabbing his sandals. Grabbing her own socks and shoes, Connie followed him at a quick pace when she felt something. It wasn’t a tangible feeling, like stepping on a stone or seashell, but something invisible that vibrated against her shoulder, tempting her towards the ocean. She turned toward the ocean, feeling something like a pinch before feeling an emotion like burning hot anger and paralyzing fear spread down her arm and back up to creep towards her brain. But there was nothing but water. 

“Connie! C’mon!” Steven called. Connie turned away from the ocean and continued her run up to the house. Steven was on the porch deck already, eyes wide at the coming storm. The wind was starting to pick up as she climbed the stairs, and Garnet immediately ushered both children inside the house. 

In the living room, Connie panted lightly from her run, cautiously looking at the ocean again. It had been such a weird feeling! She wasn’t sure she wanted to feel it again. 

“Connie, you better call your mother and give her a heads-up on what’s going on,” Garnet advised. Connie nodded and pulled out her cell phone, pressing the speed-dial number for her mother. She picked up after two rings. 

“Connie? Sweetie, what is it?” 

“Hey, Mother. I’m at Steven Universe’s home, and Garnet said that there’s a storm on the way. Just wanted you to know,” Connie explained. 

“A storm? Now? Will you be safe? I can pick you up, since your father’s at work,” Dr. Maheswaran said. 

Connie shook her head before remembering that her mother wouldn’t be able to see her. “No, ma’am. Garnet said that we could go into one of their rooms if it gets bad enough.” 

A little white lie, but that needed to be said. Her parents still didn’t know the nature of the Crystal Gems’ Temple. 

“Well, alright. But I’ll be picking you up as soon as the storm’s over!” 

“Yes, ma’am. Love you, Mom.” 

“Love you, too, sweetie. See you after the storm.” 

Connie hung up with her mother with a sigh. Garnet nodded and began to move to the Temple portion of the house. She knocked on the door and called out, “Amethyst.” 

The door’s purple dot glowed and a purple line squiggled on the door before messily pulling apart. Amethyst walked out with a grin, and Connie could see piles and piles of objects in the blue room before the door squished shut. 

“What up?” Amethyst greeted. 

Garnet pointed to Connie and Steven and said, “There’s a storm coming and Pearl and I need to go on a mission. That means that you are in charge of Connie and Steven. Can you do that?” 

Amethyst gave Garnet a playful grin and salute, snapping, “Aye, aye, Captain!” 

Garnet nodded and started to go to the warp pad. Pearl was almost near it as well when she began to ramble to Amethyst. 

“Now, make sure that they don’t go outside while the storm’s going on; being struck by lightning is always a possibility. Make sure that nothing sharp is out. Be careful with Connie! She’s not as sturdy as Steven. Oh---“ 

Steven nudged Connie while Pearl was still rambling on to Amethyst and whispered, “Do you wanna go treasure hunting in Amethyst’s room?” 

Connie looked at Steven in surprise. “Treasure hunting?” 

Steven’s definition of “treasure hunting” could range from pretty seashells to old shipwrecks at the back of caves. Connie’s mother had pitched a fit when she saw how much sand and dirt Connie’s skirt had collected from that adventure. 

Steven nodded. “Yeah! She’s got tons of cool things in her room. Trees, sofas, gas masks, all kinds of things!” 

Connie was pretty sure that her eyes were sparkling, because Steven’s grin grew even wider. Garnet managed to drag Pearl onto the warp pad, and the two disappear with a jingle and flash of light. Amethyst turned to Connie and Steven with a grin. 

“Sooooo, what are you guys up for?” she asked. Steven immediately shouted, “Treasure hunting!” 

“Yeah!” Connie agreed. 

“Awww, but you guys just came back inside, and Garnet and Pearl said that there’s a storm on the way!” Amethyst protested. 

“Garnet also said that she wanted us in the Temple,” Steven said, wagging his eyebrows. Amethyst’s face light up with delight. 

“Well, then,” she began, her gem glowing, “if the two little humans will step this way…” 

The purple squiggle appeared again, and the door opened. Connie could feel her grin spreading. Amethyst gestured to the door, and Steven and Connie raced into Amethyst’s room, laughing. Amethyst followed and the door closed shut after her. 

Connie stopped in awe at the amount of junk that rose in piles in the room. There were piles after piles, mish-mashed together so that no one could distinguish what was in each pile. There were trees, powerlines, desks, and other miscellaneous items. Connie could barely make out what was what in the piles. 

Steven and Amethyst ran ahead, laughing. Connie followed, only a few paces behind. She was busy trying to figure out if Amethyst had a system for all the things in her room, but from the looks of it, there wasn’t. This was the first time that she had been in a Gem’s room, excluding Steven’s mother’s room. 

They finally stopped running when Amethyst climbed a pile to an old couch by a pool of water. Connie examined it curiously while Steven began to shift through a small pile of things. Turning to the purple Gem and pointing to the pool, Connie asked, “Are these safe?” 

“Yeah, the pools are safe for the most part. You just gotta make sure it’s a pool and not a way to Pearl or Garnet’s rooms, kay?” Amethyst explained. 

“Okay,” Connie agreed, moving to the pile of items that Steven was digging through. They muttered about different subjects as they searched, pulling things like used inkpots, soccer balls, small marble statues, and other items that they found interesting from various piles. They did have to be careful, as some of the trash in the piles included broken glass and knife points. 

Connie let out a small gasp when she explored a pile of junk by herself. She had just moved a pair of scarves to reveal an unopened air mattress. Grinning, she pulled it out and jumped down from the pile to the hard packed floor. 

“Hey, Amethyst!” she called. Amethyst looked up from her spot on her couch. Connie held the box up for her to see and shouted, “How many of these do you have?” 

Amethyst squinted to see the box before shrugging and yelling back, “Don’t know. Why?” 

“My family usually has a reunion every summer, and it’s on a rotation schedule, so that each family hosts the reunion once. It’s my dad’s turn this year,” she explained. “Some might not be able to afford a hotel, and they’ll stay with my family. Could I borrow this mattress and any others you may have, please?” 

Steven popped up from a pool of water and asked, “You guys don’t have any?” 

Connie shook her head and said, “No, we had one, but it’s missing. We don’t know where it is.” 

Amethyst shrugged and said, “Sure. Just bring ‘em back when you’re done using them. When’s the reunion?” 

“In a couple of months, so we won’t need them just quite yet,” Connie said, walking over to Amethyst. “Could they be stored in a closet here---?” 

“Connie, be careful!” Steven shouted too late. Connie felt her foot slip beside one of the pools and, with a shriek, lose her balance. She fell into the pool, losing the air mattress in the process. She had sort of expected the cold, but she didn’t expect to drop farther down into open air. 

Connie gasped when her feet met nothing. She wasn’t sure which room she was heading to as she dropped, but she could feel the heat of it. Stretching her arms out, she felt something brush against her fingers and turned towards it, hoping to use whatever it was to slow her descent. It was too late and she hit the ground hard. 

Groaning, she looked up at the puddle of water which sent her to this place. Red walls and roots surrounded the puddle, bright bubbles of light scattered across the ceiling. Each bubble contained, Connie realized, a Gem, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. And they were flooding her body with thorny _pain_ and hot _anger_ and swirling _confusion._ Connie felt it come from above her, from the captured Gems, and be absorbed into her skin, down to her bones and to the base of her brain. They were shouting in her head, crying their names and asking for help. She curled into herself, hands clutching her head and digging her nails into her scalp in a weird attempt to counteract the pain, eyes shut tightly. 

“Connie!” Steven’s voice helped tone down the pain and confusion she was feeling from the gems. She opened her eyes to see Steven coming at a run towards her, eyes wide in shock. Amethyst stood a little farther back from him. “Connie, are you okay?” 

Connie shook her head and said, “Steven, they’re so loud!” 

Steven skidded to a stop in front of her. “What?” 

“The Gems! In the bubbles! They’re crying and screaming and they hurt, Steven, they hurt!” Connie tried to explain, tears coming to her eyes. Various voices were echoing in her brain, trying to introduce themselves or asking what was going or screaming to help them. They were starting to give her a migraine, her stomach rolling with nausea and her head throbbing. 

Steven looked concerned. Slowly, he stepped towards Connie. “But, Connie,” he said, confused, “these Gems are bubbled. They can’t talk.” 

Connie whimpered, fear blooming in her chest. She tapped her temple and whispered, _“In here.”_

Steven’s face became frightened and he rushed over to pull her into a hug. Connie buried her head into his chest, inhaling his scent. It cleared her head a bit, but the voices still clamored over each other, wanting to be heard. She felt another set of arms around her, and could hear Amethyst mutter, “C’mon, Steven! We gotta get her out of here.” 

They began to help her stand when a hot wave of anger and frustration flooded her, causing Connie to double over with a gasp. Her skin felt like it was being scorched, and powerful screaming drowned out the other bubbled Gems’ voices. Connie could feel the vibrations from Steven’s chest counteract painfully with the new feeling when he said, “Amethyst, look! Garnet and Pearl must have found a new Gem!” 

“Well, let’s hope that they get home soon!” Amethyst replied as she struggled to keep Connie upright. Connie whimpered as soon as Amethyst started to talk, as she could feel her vibrations as well. She felt Steven nod. Connie tried to help when they hoisted her to her feet, straightening her legs, but the anger made her headache worse and caused her knees buckle. She went down to the floor again, pressing her palms to her temples and her nails harder into her scalp. 

“Steven! Amethyst! Connie! What’s going on?” 

Connie could hear Garnet yell, panic in her voice. Connie knew that was bad; Garnet was the perfect example of being stoic. She shut her eyes again to try and ease the progressing migraine as Steven explained what happened. She didn’t even notice that Garnet had picked her up and carried her out of the room until thunder rumbled in her ears. 

She opened her eyes to see that they were back in Steven’s living room. The bubbled Gems’ voices were no longer in her head. Her skin didn’t hurt. She was okay. 

The storm appeared to be in full swing, rain slashing at the windows and lightning and thunder making appearances constantly and causing the house to tremble. Pearl was in the middle of room, shock and fear on her face from, Connie assumed, Garnet carrying the little girl out of the Temple. 

“Connie!” she cried. “What happened?” 

Connie was about to reply when Garnet said, “Your room, Pearl. Bring the tea set as well.” 

Pearl nodded and began to bustle in the kitchen, grabbing various items from the cabinets. She called over her shoulder, “Amethyst, do you still have that camp set?” 

“Yeah; you want me to take it to your room?” Connie looked over Garnet’s shoulder to see Amethyst and Steven standing by the door to the Temple, worry on their faces. 

“Yes, please. Steven?” Pearl said, arms full of tea bags, a kettle, a sugar bowl, mugs, and a couple bottles of water. Connie’s stomach somersaulted at the thought of her regular tea and she buried her head into Garnet’s chest. 

“I wanna stay with Connie.” Connie heard Steven say, and she blessed all her stars that she had a friend like Steven. 

“All right, Steven. Connie,” Garnet said. Connie looked up into Garnet’s shades. The plum Gem continued, “We’re going into Pearl’s room. The storm’s too unpredictable right now. Will you be fine?” 

Connie thought about it for a second. She had been fine in Amethyst’s room, and she knew that the Gems wouldn’t take her back to the room that caused her pain. They had talked about Pearl’s room like it was completely different from the red room. Which meant that the red room was Garnet’s room, and Garnet’s room held all the bubbled Gems. She would be fine in Pearl’s room. 

She nodded to Garnet, who immediately turned and walked back to the Temple door. Pearl and Steven were there already, looking anxious. Steven was holding the mugs and sugar bowl, and looked like he was about to cry. Connie gave him a quick smile before her head reminded her that it was just used as a megaphone and throbbed. She leaned her head against Garnet’s chest as Pearl opened the door to her room, a bright white line forming vertically and breaking apart to reveal a room of blue and water towers. 

Pearl entered first, walking on the water before leaping toward the main water tower. Steven followed, going through the watery curtain before appearing next to Pearl. Connie wasn’t sure how that happened. She felt Garnet tense up before she leapt up to land next to Pearl. Gently, she was lowered down until she could stand on her own feet. Connie wobbled a little, her head still giving her issues. Garnet turned to Pearl and said, “Start the tea when Amethyst arrives; I’ll be right back.” 

With that, Garnet jumped from the tower and into the water below with a splash. Connie had no time to ponder what Garnet was doing, as Amethyst arrived with a green camping stove. Pearl made quick work with the tea, emptying the bottles of water into the kettle and lighting the stove to heat the water. Placing the kettle on the lit stove, Pearl turned to the three and asked, “What exactly happened while we were gone?” 

Amethyst and Connie were silent, but Steven said, “We were treasure hunting in Amethyst’s room, and Connie had just found an air mattress and was wondering if there were others.” 

“My family has a reunion coming up in a couple of months,” Connie explained at Pearl’s confused expression. Pearl’s expression cleared up and she nodded for them to continue. 

“So she started to run to Amethyst, to kinda start piling up mattresses?” Steven turned to Connie, who nodded in agreement. 

“Her foot slipped next to a pool that led to Garnet’s room,” Amethyst picked up. “And when we reached her, she was in a ball, hands by her head, looking like she was hurtin’.” 

Pearl turned to Connie, a frightened look on her face. Connie swallowed, unnerved. How could she begin describing what she felt from those Gems? What would happen? How badly would they react to voices in her head? That alone would shun her from other humans.

Connie took a deep breath for courage. She quickly said, “I heard the bubbled Gems.” 

It came out more like _“I heardthebubbled Gems,”_ but Pearl understood anyways. Her eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth to speak when the kettle began to screech. She turned her attention to the kettle, turning off the stove and pouring the hot water into two mugs. She silently offered the box full of assorted teabags. Connie selected a peppermint packet, and two cubes of sugar. She made her tea as Steven made his. The sharp peppermint that was wafting in her nose helped ease her nausea and the throbbing in her head. She took an appreciative sip of her tea and sighed in relief. Steven hadn’t touched his yet, looking between Pearl and Connie. 

“Connie,” Pearl began, “what exactly did you hear?” 

Connie looked at Pearl in surprise. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t that. But then again, the Crystal Gems had seen a lot, and Steven was learning new things about himself all the time. 

“Names,” Connie said. She felt something coming up, inquisitive and prodding, but she still scooched closer to Steven anyways. “Questions on where they were, what was happening. I could mostly feel them. They were angry, confused, and in a lot of pain. But then the new one came, and _that one_ was angry beyond belief.” 

Pearl opened her mouth again to ask another question, Connie was sure, when Garnet appeared. In her hand was a bubbled Gem. Connie sharply inhaled and pressed closer to Steven, the pain still fresh in her mind. It didn’t matter that this Gem felt calm, it could change in an instant. Steven enveloped her in a hug, his mug no longer in his hands. 

Garnet shifted closer to them before kneeling down in front of Connie, the bubbled Gem in offering. 

“Connie,” Garnet asked, “can you tell me who this was? Her corruption turned her into a being which we call Centipeedle.” 

Connie looked at Garnet in surprise. The tiniest nod was all the confirmation she needed to place her tea aside and her hands around the bubble to better see the Gem inside. It was perfectly round, a blackish-green color, with a circle in the middle connected by squiggles. It throbbed under her hands, warm curiosity tingling her palms. The curiosity was slower than anger, but the information came so fast Connie had a little trouble sorting out what Centipeedle wanted to say. 

“Her name was Jade,” Connie murmured. “She had fought in what is now Asia. She had been injured, retreated to her Gem, and then buried? There were a lot of rocks on her.” 

She felt Steven press his forehead into her back, and she pulled one hand away from the bubble to give his arm a comforting squeeze. The bubbled Centipeedle was still giving her story, but now had questions of her own in-between story sentences. Connie pushed the questions to the back of her mind and focused on Centipeedle’s story. 

“She was alone for a long time, and was unearthed by miners. She regenerated, and found herself alone. She wondered for a while, but missed other Gems. So she tried to make more without….the Kindergarten?....and had used her own limbs to try and do so. But every time she regenerated, she lost more and more of herself until she finally corrupted.” 

Connie looked up at Garnet and was surprised to a single tear line down her face. She turned to see Pearl wiping tears from her face and Amethyst looking confused and frightened. Garnet murmured gently, “What else, Connie?” 

“She’s confused on where she is. She wants to be normal again, but doesn’t know how. She’s scared that she wouldn’t be able to stop trying to make new Gems from herself,” Connie said softly. Pearl let out a choked sob, and Connie realized that her back was wet. Steven was also crying. 

It was silent for a little while. Connie dropped her hands down from the bubble, picking up her now cold tea and sipping it. Steven had finally stopped hugging her and was looking down at his own mug. Garnet was the first to speak. 

“Stevonnie.” 

Everyone looked at her in surprise. Garnet turned to Steven and asked, “Did you two fuse again?” 

Connie felt Steven nod against her shoulder and said, “Yeah. Dad had put on The Philosophy Majors and Connie and I started to dance. We fused while dancing.” 

Pearl began to sputter. “But-but! Fusions are not able to pass on abilities from one Gem to another! It’s not possible!”

“Pearl, it’s Steven. Anything’s possible,” Amethyst deadpanned. Connie couldn’t help but to silently agree with Amethyst. 

“Even so, it appears that fusing has allowed something new to go from Steven to Connie,” Garnet said. Connie and Steven looked at each other, worried. What if something else got transferred, like Steven’s shield? Or his bubble?

Their thoughts were broken when Amethyst said, “Well, at least we know who Centipeedle was.” 

“And we have a chance at getting her and the others back!” Pearl said. Connie saw Garnet give Pearl a pointed look, and Pearl quickly added, “In due course, of course.” 

Connie nodded in agreement. She wanted to help Steven and the Gems, she did! And if they were able to help corrupted Gems back to normal, then they would be able to handle anything that Homeworld would throw at them.

“Did the tea help, Connie?” Pearl asked gently. Connie smiled with relief as she realized that her head didn’t throb anymore and her stomach wasn’t rolling. 

“Yes, ma’am!” she chirped with a nod. Pearl smiled and turned to organizing the tea set and the camp stove. Amethyst nudged Connie and asked, “Uh, ‘bout the air mattresses…” 

“I’m gonna ask Mom before requesting the rest of how many you have,” Connie said. 

“We can store it in the closet in the meantime,” Steven suggested. Connie nodded her thanks. The group settled down and played card games while the storm continued outside. It wasn’t until Garnet stretched and announced that the storm was over did anyone move. Connie stretched as well, eager to use the bathroom. After her first mug of tea, she had two more mugs, and after spending a couple hours in Pearl’s room, her bladder reminded her that it needed to empty before going home. 

Steven helped her get down from the water tower, and the Temple released them back into Steven’s house. Connie quickly used the bathroom and splashed cold water from the sink onto her face. She looked in the mirror hanging over the sink and began to wonder. Would sensing Gems be a new thing to learn, like sword fighting? Would that be the only useful thing that the Crystal Gems would want her to do? Yes, she was learning how to fight, but Pearl said that she and Steven would have to fuse if they wanted to fight. And while Stevonnie was fun to be as for a while, she and Steven both agreed that they liked being themselves better. She wanted be helpful to the Crystal Gems, but to also do more than sense who corrupted Gems used to be. It also looked like it was a short-range ability, so it wouldn’t be helpful with missions, if the Gems asked her to come with. 

A knock came from the bathroom door and Pearl’s voice floated through. “Connie? Your mother just called the house. She’s almost here and wants you ready to go.” 

“Okay, Pearl. Thank you!” Connie called. She dried her face and went back to the main house. Steven was waiting for her by the front door. She joined him and together they went outside to see the damage the storm caused. 

There was a lot of driftwood and seaweed on the beach, mixed with trash from where the trashcans had been blown over during the storm. A couple of boards from the boardwalk looked like they had been pulled up. They would probably be replaced, or at least nailed down again. The shops looked fine, and power was still on in people’s homes. 

“Are you okay, Connie?” Steven asked quietly. “When you were talking to Jade, you had this weird, faraway look in your eyes.” 

Connie shook her head and said, “Jade was fine with me, Steven. It was just being in that room with so many Gems all at once really hurt. Especially that new one; she wasn’t happy _at all.”_

They went down the stairs: Connie first, then Steven. They began to walk to the Big Donut parking lot, the agreed point for Connie’s pick-ups and drop-offs. 

“You said that the angry ones hurt?” Steven asked. 

“Yeah. It felt like I was burning. And the ones that were scared and confused? They felt like when your foot’s asleep, but worse, and I could feel my blood swirling in my veins. Like making tiny whirlpools!” Connie went on. 

“Whoa,” Steven breathed, his eyes gaining that cute, starry look, “that must of felt really weird!” 

Connie nodded in agreement, but she was no longer paying attention. Something invisible was tugging her shoulder, and it felt like the energies that she felt before the storm hit. She turned toward the tugging, checking to see where it was the strongest. There!

Steven was about to ask another question when Connie pivoted and marched over to a piece of driftwood and seaweed. Carefully, she lifted the wood up and gasped lightly. 

“Steven!” she called over her shoulder. She flipped the wood all the way over as Steven ran over, careful with her discoveries. Gingerly, she picked up the orange Gem and the blue Gem, keeping them separate from each other. The orange Gem, all sharp points, was burning her palm with anger, while the blue Gem, rounded into a teardrop, was tingling with fright. She showed Steven the Gems, and he gasped. 

“It’s Jasper and Lapis Lazuli!” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, but editing was a pain. But hey! New chapter! 
> 
> Also, I changed the title from Aura to Catch a Tiger because Catch a Tiger just fitted better with my plans for this story.

“I had felt them before the storm hit. I guess the waves brought them the rest of the way here,” Connie said, inspecting Jasper’s Gem carefully from her palm. She knew from Steven that Jasper was mean and hardheaded, but he said nothing about her Gem being this pointy.

Steven reached toward Lapis, and Connie gingerly transferred the teardrop Gem over to him. Steven inspected Lapis’s Gem carefully and sighed in relief.

“She’s not cracked,” he said. Then he looked over Jasper, but didn’t touch her Gem. He continued, “Jasper looks okay, too.”

Connie rolled Jasper’s Gem gently between her fingers, feeling the sharp corners. The vibrant orange color gleamed, even with the cloudy sky slowly going darker with the approaching night, and Connie couldn’t help but stare. Jasper’s anger was hot enough to reflect light off of it, even when there was barely any light.

“I can’t wait to show the Gems! And when Lapis comes back, we can have _so much fun_ together, the three of us!” Steven said excitedly.

“That’s great and all, Steven, but she’s been stuck with Jasper for several months before becoming unfused; she may need some time to adjust to being just herself,” Connie said, still staring at Jasper’s Gem. If she focused, she could feel something else under all that anger: fear, pain, uncertainty. It felt like Jasper needed some help as well.

“Yeah. But what are we gonna do about Jasper?” Steven asked, looking at Connie with concern and fear.

“What do you mean?” Connie asked, confused.

“Well, if I took both Jasper and Lapis back, the Gems most likely will bubble Jasper and maybe Lapis. They may actually try to smash Jasper’s Gem! But I think they would be fine with just Lapis at the Temple, and she wouldn’t be bubbled,” Steven explained.

“And if we left her alone?” Connie asked.

“Best case, she goes and meets up with Peridot, I guess. Worst case is that she’ll try and take over the Temple and hurt us,” Steven said, sadness lacing his voice.

“But that’s if she’s _alone_ ,” Connie emphasized, looking down at Jasper’s Gem. Steven looked at Connie with surprise.

“What are you saying?” he asked nervously.

“What if I took her home?” Connie said, grinning at Steven.

Steven stared at Connie for a few seconds before shouting, “ _What?_ ”

“Shhhh!” Connie shushed him, looking toward his house. If one of the Gems saw them, then they would hurt Jasper and Lapis. And the Gems were going to have their hands full soon with undoing all the corruption within the bubbled Gems. Seeing that they were safe, she turned toward him and explained, “Steven, Lapis is scared. You know that. But what you don’t know is that Jasper’s scared, too. And I think we can help her, but not by surrounding her with her enemies. She needs a safe place.”

“But she’s so mean!” Steven exclaimed. “Do you think you can do it? What about your parents?”

“I can hide her for now, and I think I can work some sort of deal out with Jasper when she comes back. Mom has plenty of therapy and anger management books that she bought for my grandfather that he never read; I can use those,” Connie said. “And I’ll keep her in my room, so that she wouldn’t get to the kitchen or outside.”

A car horn honked from the Big Donut’s parking lot, and Connie and Steven whipped around to see Connie’s mother in her car, waving. Connie turned toward Steven, who still looked uncertain, and gave him a hug. She whispered, “If I can handle Pearl’s training, I can handle Jasper. I’ll be _fine_.”

She felt Steven nod against her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. She squeezed back affectionately before letting go and running towards her mother’s car. As discretely as possible, she slipped Jasper’s Gem into her pocket. As soon as she reached the passenger-side door she waved at Steven before getting in. Steven waved back, Lapis’s Gem in his other hand, still looking like he didn’t like what Connie was doing but he knew her long enough that she’d try her hardest to help.

Connie sat in the passenger seat and waved one last time before her mother pulled out of the parking lot. She pulled on her seat belt, hyperaware of Jasper’s Gem pressing against her leg. Her mother pulled out of her parking spot and onto Main Street, driving toward their part of town.

“Were you and Steven okay during the storm?” she asked.

Connie nodded. “Yeah, we went treasure hunting in Amethyst’s room. I found an air mattress!”

“Really? You ‘found’ an air mattress?” Dr. Maheswaran asked. Connie nodded.

“Yeah! Amethyst may have more; her room is really messy. She has a lot of stuff,” she explained, toning down how messy it really was and what could possibly be in it.

“We may need to ask if we can borrow a few for the reunion. Your father just got word that more of your cousins managed to clear something off their schedule,” Dr. Maheswaran said, eyes on the road. Connie slipped her hand over the bump Jasper’s Gem was making from her pocket.

“I had mentioned to Amethyst about how ours is missing, and I wanted to make sure with you to ask if we could borrow them,” Connie said.

“I’ll ask Amethyst personally about those mattresses. I really don’t know how many people we would be able to host in our home,” Dr. Maheswaran mused.

 _And a giant lady Gem as well,_ Connie thought to herself. Steven did tell her that Jasper was beefy, and that she was even bigger than Garnet. And she promised Steven that Jasper would stay in her room. How was she going to make this work?

The rest of the drive was in comfortable silence, and the two Maheswarans arrived at their little townhouse safely. Connie’s father wasn’t home, as he had the evening shift at his work, so Dr. Maheswaran cooked a simple dinner for the two of them. As soon as her dinner was finished and her dishes were in the dishwasher, Connie rushed upstairs to her room.

Carefully locking the door, Connie pulled Jasper’s Gem out of her pocket, checking her over for any cracks or chips. She sighed in relief when she felt that Jasper was whole. During the entire ride and throughout dinner, she felt that Jasper’s anger could burn a hole in her pocket. She knew that the Gem couldn’t do that, but when the heat pressing against her leg was travelling throughout her body and not just to her brain, she couldn’t help but wonder.

She placed the orange Gem on her desk and began to make a nest for Jasper until she was ready to regenerate. She grabbed a basket and dumped the peanut butter cups out of it, grabbing a winter scarf to line the basket before adding a small pillow and another scarf. She nestled Jasper into the mess as gently as she could before sitting on her bed.

She could still feel Jasper’s anger from her bed, which was at least a good ten feet away. She wondered how close to shore she and Lapis had been if Connie had been able to sense them. Connie was curious about her Gem-sensing range now, but shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was going to have a volatile roommate soon, and she needed Jasper’s respect in order to make it work. The question was, how to do that?

Keeping her in the house was one thing; all she had to do was mention the Crystal Gems and possibly the government, right? Jasper was all alone: Peridot was still missing and Lapis wouldn’t want to deal with Jasper again. But how was she going to keep Jasper in her room? Say that her mother would kick her out? While that was true, Jasper most likely would not be intimidated by her mother. Maybe she has some honor code or morals to live by? Perhaps Connie could wrangle a promise out of her. But if she became violent, Connie’s going to need a weapon.

Pearl had Connie’s sword in her room at the Temple, so that her parents wouldn’t find out about her sword lessons. Steven told her about Jasper’s helmet, so something sharp like a knife might not do as much damage. She needed something heavy, something durable.

She needed a frying pan.

Connie groaned and flopped backwards on her bed.

“How am I supposed to get one of the frying pans?” she muttered to herself. They were all down in the kitchen, and her dad would notice if one was missing. She scrubbed her eyes, pushing her glasses to her forehead. Silence was her only answer.

Connie looked toward Jasper’s Gem and sighed. She muttered, “You’re going to give me trouble, aren’t you?”

Jasper’s Gem continued to give off its anger. Connie sat up on her bed, looking towards Jasper’s Gem. She continued, her voice low, “Do you have any hobbies? Like knitting? Or is your life just full of fighting?”

The Gem didn’t answer, of course, but Connie felt it shift from anger and insecurity to insecurity and curiosity. The feeling traveled up and down her body like wet paint on a paintbrush, swirling over her skin. She shivered at the lukewarm feeling, but continued.

“I hope it’s not full of fighting.” The angry feeling was beginning to override the insecurity, bringing more warmth. “I hope that they don’t make you fight when you don’t want to. I know Steven said that you were big and beefy and mean, but I think that they made you that way. I don’t know.”

The anger drew back, making the wet paint lukewarm again. Connie continued to talk, making sure to keep her voice low so that her mother wouldn’t knock on her door to question her on why she was talking to “herself.” When knocking did come at her door, Connie immediately clammed up.

“Connie?” Her dad was home! When did that happen? Connie looked over to her alarm clock to see that it was almost bedtime. How did the time fly?

Her dad continued, “It’s almost bedtime, sweetie. Hop in the shower and brush your teeth, okay?”

“Okay, Dad,” Connie replied. She hopped off the bed and began to look for pajamas. She knew that her dad wouldn’t leave until her heard her move because sometimes she would be too absorbed with a good book in order to do anything. She could hear him shuffle down the hallway as she located her pajamas. Grabbing them, she cast one last look over her shoulder at Jasper’s Gem and went to the bathroom to take her shower.

It was the quickest shower she had ever had. Her parents were pretty lenient on her showering habits, as a way to transition her from baths to showers. But instead of imagining adventures, she was in and out of the shower to make sure she didn’t miss Jasper possibly regenerating. Pajamas on and teeth brushed, she rushed back into her room. Jasper’s Gem hadn’t moved.

Connie sighed in relief as she hopped onto her bed and under the covers. She grabbed the book that she had hid under her pillow the night before and began to read. She only stopped when her mother came into her room to say good-night.

“Lights out, Connie,” she said before kissing Connie’s forehead. “Sweet dreams, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Night, Mom,” Connie said. Dr. Maheswaran flicked off the lights as she left Connie’s room, and Connie turned toward her desk. Jasper’s Gem glinted in the moonlight of her window shades, and Connie could still feel the hot anger rolling off of the orange Gem.

She couldn’t help but hope that Jasper didn’t regenerate during the night as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Jasper didn’t emerge in the morning. Or the next day. Or the day after that.

Connie didn’t watch the dormant Gem every second of the day. She had other things to do, such as violin practice and lessons, and tennis. She needed to go to school, to finish up classes before summer vacation started. It ended in a couple of weeks, and then she would have time to help Jasper, Steven, and the Gems. It was hard to focus, however, the loom of summer vacation and Jasper’s possible regeneration in her room while she was away distracting her.

She still hadn’t gotten a frying pan. It was hard, since taking a frying pan in the first place would be immediately noticed by her mother. She was hoping to take the oldest and grungiest frying pan, since it was not being used as often. It would make food stick to it, no matter how much cooking spray was used, and by using so much cooking spray would cause the food to burn faster. Connie blessed her lucky stars the day her dad came home with a new frying pan.

“To replace this old one,” he explained, taking the old frying pan out of the lazy-susan. It was the fifth day since Connie brought Jasper’s Gem home.

Connie eyed it as Mr. Maheswaran placed the old frying pan on the counter. She picked it up, testing its weight in her hands. Nice and heavy, perfect. The handle was still good, so that pan itself wouldn’t go flying off if she swung too hard.

“Connie? Would you take that out to the big trash can outside, please?” her mother asked. Connie looked up to Dr. Maheswaran, who nodded towards the pan. Seizing her golden opportunity, Connie headed to the front door. It was trash day in the morning, so her parents wouldn’t think it would be strange if she was in and out of the house fast. She hid the frying pan behind the giant potted plant by the front door, and opened the door and went outside. She waited a minute or two before going back inside. When the kitchen came into view, she saw that her mother was talking on the phone.

“Oh, here she is. Connie, it’s Steven Universe!” Dr. Maheswaran called from the kitchen. Connie grinned and raced to the phone.

“Hey, Steven!” Connie exclaimed as soon as she got the phone next to her ear. She could hear Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl in the background as Steven said, “Hey, Connie! Can you come over tomorrow?”

Tomorrow was Saturday. She could go over to Steven’s tomorrow, with her parents’ permission.

“Hold on,” she said, and she pulled the phone away from her ear. She called up the stairs, “Mom, could I go to Steven’s house tomorrow?”

“Only if you’re back by dinnertime!” came the reply. Connie grinned and put the phone back to her ear.

“I can come over, but I’ll have to leave by the time dinnertime rolls around,” she said. Quietly, she asked, “How’s Lapis? Has she come out yet?”

She could almost see Steven’s face turn into a sad frown as he said, “No, she hasn’t. Garnet thinks it’ll be soon, though.”

“We may need to be careful when she does; there’s no telling what she experienced while with Jasper,” Connie warned.

“So we should give her some space when she comes back?”

“Probably , yeah.”

They talked a little bit longer before Connie hung up the phone. She wandered upstairs to the family room, where her parents were on the couch, watching television. She climbed up and snuggled into her mother’s side, thoughts bouncing off each other. She felt her mother wrap an arm around her shoulder and she latched onto that feeling of security.

Her room had been warmer than usual since Jasper’s Gem took up residence in her basket. Jasper’s anger was overriding her insecurity and fear, and Connie couldn’t coax back the feeling of curiosity from her. The little girl missed the lukewarm paint feeling when Jasper was curious. Connie was constantly asking the dormant Gem questions, but none of them made Jasper curious enough to invoke that feeling again. A few of them even caused Jasper to rage, causing Connie to double-over in pain and race for ibuprofen.

What was worse was that she didn’t know where her dad put the anger management books. She had checked all the bookcases, and couldn’t find them. She wondered if-----

“Connie? You all right?” Dr. Maheswaran asked, shaking her gently and interrupting her train of thought. Connie looked up at her mother in surprise. She couldn’t censor her thought as it came out, “I can’t find the anger management books that we got Grandfather.”

Inwardly, she winced. How to recover from her mistake?

“There’s a boy in the library that’s very disruptive, and I want to be prepared for next year,” she lied quickly. Connie watched her mother carefully, but it seemed like she didn’t pick up on the lie. Instead, she said, “I think they’re in the basement. I can bring them up tomorrow while you’re at Steven’s house.”

Connie barely believed her luck. Quickly, she hugged her mother, whispering “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” over and over again. Her mother returned the hug before going back to watching television. Connie went back to snuggling against her mom, relaxing before having to deal with Jasper’s dormant Gem again.

Her parents let her stay up a little bit past her bedtime before telling her that she needed to go to bed if she wanted to stay over Steven’s house for a reasonable amount of time. After some half-hearted protests, she trouped to her room. She braced herself to feel the heat of Jasper’s anger, but was surprised to feel icy-cold panic instead. Closing her door, she rushed over to Jasper’s Gem, which had been in its basket the entire week; Connie felt that it would be wrong to fiddle with Jasper while residing in her Gem.

“Hey, hey! It’s okay, Jasper, it’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe,” she whispered to Jasper’s Gem. She hesitated only for a second before stroking the orange Gem carefully. The panic started to recede, leaving only insecurity and fear. She cupped Jasper’s Gem carefully in both hands and walked over to her bed. She placed Jasper on her pillow and whispered, “Give me a sec, okay?”

Quickly, Connie changed into her nightgown before climbing on the bed. Laying down on her stomach, she asked gently, “Did you have a bad dream?”

The Gem didn’t respond. Connie continued, “It’s okay if you did. I have bad dreams too.”

She stroked Jasper’s Gem gently. She said, “Did you dream about being fused with Lapis? I bet that was scary, not being in control.”

The Gem pulsed rhythmically, like she was agreeing.

“I know you can hear me, but will you remember when you come back?”

Uncertainty made tingles across her skin, like Jasper didn’t know herself. Connie opened her mouth to talk again when a knock came at her door. Connie covered Jasper’s Gem with her hand, ignoring the stinging indignity against her palm.

“Yes?” Connie yelled through the door.

“Connie, lights out. Your mother and I are going to bed,” her father’s voice came through the door. Connie sagged in relief on the fact that he didn’t open the door. She replied, “Okay! Night!”

“Night, dear.”

“Good night, Connie.”

Connie hopped off the bed, ignoring Jasper’s curiosity and flicking off the light switch. She heard her parents move away from the door as she went back to the bed. She hopped up on the bed and began to quietly murmur to Jasper. The Gem soaked up her words, wonderment and curiosity buzzing warmly against her skin, particularly around the ears. Connie paused occasionally to listen for her father’s growing snores. It was only when she heard the first rumbles did she excuse herself from Jasper’s Gem and crept out of her room.

Connie moved toward the stairs carefully. She knew all the squeaky boards and nails that the stairs had, so she gripped the banister tightly and placed her feet after the other between the rails. Gingerly, she made it down to the first floor and slid over to her new weapon’s hiding place. She grabbed the handle of the frying pan and pulled it out. Her heart pounded at the thought that her mother might catch her and having her explain why she needed it. But nothing happened. She climbed the banister again before bolting to her room.

Despite the adrenaline rush, Connie closed the door softly before hiding the frying pan under her bed. She hopped up on the bed again and stroked Jasper’s Gem gently. It throbbed under her fingers, content.

“Do you wanna go back to your basket or stay with me?” Connie asked, feeling sleep seep into her bones. Warmth, not heat, told her the answer.

Connie chuckled. “Okay. But I’m getting up early tomorrow, so be prepared.”

With that, she crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes, letting sleep consume her.

* * *

Connie sat comfortably the front seat of her father’s car as he drove through Beach City. In reality, she was thrumming with excitement, barely able to keep from wriggling in her seat.

When she woke up that morning, Jasper’s Gem was thrumming contently on her pillow. Carefully, she placed Jasper back into her basket before getting dressed. She made sure that her door was firmly closed after packing her backpack full of books, cards, and other possible goodies for Steven and the Crystal Gems.

Her father made it to the Big Doughnut parking lot, where Steven and Amethyst were chowing down on doughnuts. Steven waved excitedly as Connie stepped out of the car. Connie waved back as Mr. Maheswaran opened up his door to talk with Amethyst. She raced over to Steven and they met in a hug. Mr. Mahewaran began to talk to Amethyst about when he would be back to pick up Connie. Connie could tell that Amethyst wasn’t really paying attention to what her father was saying and was about to speak when Steven nudged her.

“Pearl’s coming,” he muttered, and Connie looked toward the Temple to see Pearl running to them, anger etched on her face.

“Amethyst! What have I told you about interacting with Connie’s parents?” she squawked.

“To pay attention?” Amethyst said with a shrug. Pearl facepalmed and pointed toward the Temple and growled, “You. Home. Now.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. C’mon, kids,” Amethyst grumbled as she got up and begin walking back to the Temple. Connie hugged her father before racing with Steven to catch up with Amethyst. Mr. Maheswaran turned to Pearl and began to repeat what he had said to Amethyst. Connie and Steven ran laughing towards the Temple, bypassing Amethyst.

The beach house came into view quickly, and Connie and Steven thundered up the stairs. Connie reached the door first, panting hard. Steven collapsed on the deck, panting as well. They looked at each other and giggled breathlessly.

“Come on! I set up a little nest for Lapis to recover in,” Steven said as he got up. He opened the door politely for Connie, who curtsied playfully and entered the house. She could see the nest that Steven had made for Lapis, as it held the place of honor on the coffee table. But what was concerning to Connie was that she couldn’t feel any of Lapis’s emotions.

“Steven,” Connie called over her shoulder.

“Yeah?” Steven asked curiously.

“I can’t feel her,” Connie said, kneeling down next to the coffee table. She poked the blue teardrop Gem carefully, but instead of a spark of annoyance, she received nothing. Jasper’s Gem would at least let her know if she was being annoying. But Lapis’s Gem wasn’t giving her anything. It was disconcerting after a week with Jasper’s Gem.

“I can’t feel Lapis,” she said. Steven knelt beside her and whispered, “She’s still there. Her Gem’s not cracked or smashed.”

“But I can’t pick anything up! Nothing, not even a pinch of sadness.” Connie said, staring at the Gem.

Garnet emerged from the Temple, familiar stoic expression breaking at the sight of the two children huddling around Lapis’s Gem.

“Hey, Connie,” she greeted, and Connie waved absent-mindedly. She didn’t pay attention as Garnet walked over and kneeled down next to them. The fusion asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t feel Lapis. I can’t pick up any of her emotions,” Connie explained. Garnet frowned and poked the teardrop Gem carefully. She asked, “Anything?”

Connie nodded. Lapis’s Gem had given off a faint flash of annoyance, but it was very faint.

“She’s not dead, then. Good,” Garnet said, relief disguised carefully in her voice. Connie continued to stare at Lapis’s Gem, before Steven poked her in the side.

“Wanna be jam buds?” he asked, a small grin on his face. Connie returned the grin and they rushed over to the kitchen.

Connie grabbed a picnic basket from under the island counter while Steven looked through the refrigerator. He pulled out various jam and jelly jars, and a roll of bagels. Connie grabbed the familiar red and white checkered tablecloth from a towel drawer and put it on the bottom of the picnic basket. Steven placed the jars and bagels into the basket before rushing over to a cabinet. He pulled out a jar of peanut butter and a few juice boxes from a new box. He placed those in the picnic basket as well. Connie began to move toward Lapis, but Garnet waved her off.

“I’ll watch over her. You two have your snack,” she said. Connied looked at Garnet carefully before saying, “Okay.”

“C’mon, Connie!” Steven pulled down the picnic basket and trotted over to the warp pad. Connie followed him, looking over her shoulder to see Garnet keeping her gaze on Lapis Lazuli. Then the warp pad activated and Connie saw nothing but bright light. Her feet felt nothing at first, and she still had difficulty remaining in an upright position. When she felt solid land under her feet again, she had to resist toppling over onto the ground. As she blinked the sunspots from her eyes, she saw that they were on the hand with the washer and dryer.

Steven placed the picnic basket next to the washer and began to unpack the picnic basket. Connie unfolded the tablecloth and spread it over the warp pad. Steven uncapped the jams and jellies and spread them in a line. Connie placed the bagels at an end of the line of the jars and pulled out the knives.

“Has Jasper come back?” Steven asked as he sat down on the tablecloth. Connie shook her head as she sat down as well.

“No, but she had a sort of panic attack last night. I think she was dreaming,” she said. “She calmed down when I picked her up and placed her on my pillow, though. I talked a little bit, and she was responsive, which I think is good.”

Steven grabbed two bagels and handed one to Connie. Connie nodded her thanks and opened the jar for the grape jelly. Dipping a knife into the purple chunks, she spread it thickly over a bagel slice. She placed the knife across the lip of the grape jar and took a bite out of the jellied slice. She continued, “I just hope that she remembers when she comes back.”

“Me too. I’ve been talking with Lapis the whole week! But she still hasn’t come back,” Steven said, looking at his strawberry-spread bagel slice.

“I think Lapis is gonna come back soon. If I can’t feel her, maybe she’s preparing to regeneration,” Connie suggested. Steven brightened at that.

“If that’s true, then she may come back today!”

“It _feels_ like it, yes,” Connie said cautiously, “but we need to be careful. Crowding around her while regenerating _will not_ make her feel safe. If anything, it might send her into a panic. We need a plan.”

The two children began to discuss options on how to deal with Lapis Lazuli’s return. Connie was in the middle of explaining her plan of slowly reintroducing her to the Crystal Gems one by one when Amethyst jumped up and ran up to the hand.

“Garnet said I would find you here!” she exclaimed. Steven and Connie barely had time to ask what was wrong when Amethyst picked them both up and bounced down from arm to arm to roof to the porch in rapid succession. She placed the two of them down and said, “Lapis is coming back!”

Connie and Steven immediately rushed inside. Pearl and Garnet stood by the kitchen counter, watching Lapis’s Gem hover and emit a white light. Connie immediately rushed over to Garnet and began to push her towards the Temple cave while Steven yelled through the screen door for Amethyst to stay outside. Amethyst began to argue back but Connie, still pushing at Garnet’s legs, yelled, “Pearl’s the only one that needs to be here! Then we’ll get you and Garnet, one at a time!”

Connie and Steven had agreed that Pearl would be the first to be formally introduced to Lapis, as she was the calmest of the Crystal Gems. Connie just hoped that Pearl understood their reasoning and that Lapis would be alright with introductions.

Connie managed to get Garnet next to the warp pad before rushing back to see Lapis’s regeneration. The teardrop Gem formed a slender body before a variety of hairstyles and outfits formed in the white light. Connie noted that the first outfit had been some sort of armor, but the rest consisted of flowing dresses and skirts. The light finally settled, and Lapis Lazuli finally came into being.

Connie admired Lapis’s short bob and bangs for all of ten seconds before Lapis’s eyes snapped open. She barely noticed the panic in them before Lapis screamed and water filled Connie’s vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commentary is always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Commentary is always appreciated!


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